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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Petraeus: Missile-Shooting Ships on Station in the Gulf |
| 2010-01-23 |
| Excerpt: The U.S. military is keeping at least two Navy ships on station in the Persian Gulf, ready to track and possibly intercept missiles, according to the top U.S. general in the region. Speaking today at the Institute for the Study of War, Gen. David Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command, said two cruisers equipped with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System “are in the Gulf at all times now.' |
| Posted by:Uncle Phester |
| #5 two cruisers equipped with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System The BMD capabilities are the noteworthy part here. We are not talking about the traditional carrier protection role. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2010-01-23 12:13 |
| #4 Iran's premier strategy is to drive the US out of the Middle East, so Iran can dominate the region. This means to keep the aircraft carrier fleets out. It also means that the CVNs are prime targets. Stationary bases are much easier to hit. As a theory, though, it's hard to know, because the USN no longer list fleet stations for the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, just "5th Fleet". |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-01-23 10:47 |
| #3 If I remember right, the Navy has already proven the Aegis against Iranian aircraft. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2010-01-23 10:45 |
| #2 With Iraq's airfields on hand and greater drone coverage, CVNs aren't necessary, are they? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2010-01-23 09:12 |
| #1 I suspect the USN is far less inclined to put CVNs in the Gulf these days, because of the likelihood that the Iranians have some advanced anti-ship missiles from Russia that could be fired from land. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-01-23 06:45 |